# Stinky cigar tray...



## alaskasmoke (Feb 2, 2010)

Ok... so I ordered this cigar tray from an online company because of how many cigars it could hold and the fact that it would fit perfectly in my tower humidor that I just built. The tray isn't cedar, but with the 1/4" cedar lining of the humidor, cigar boxes, etc. I didn't think I needed it to be. I believe its made of poplar or something and its been finished. I bought it from a company that sells CHEAP HUMIDORS, because they were the only ones I could find who sells it. Below is a photo of what it looks like.









My problem is this: the thing smells. I can't put my cigars in there. It must be the finish they used. It has a strong chemical smell to it. Really awful. I tried sealing it in a bag with a bunch of baking soda, but that didn't work. I think my only option is to put it up on a shelf somewhere and let it air out until it stops smelling. Might take months. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.


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## eljimmy (Jun 27, 2009)

Sucks man! In all honesty, I wouldn't even use it. Look for some all spanish cedar unvarnished trays.


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## Matt4370 (Jan 14, 2012)

I gotta agree. Contact Forrest (Wineador) <<-- click He can probably make you something better out of all cedar.


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## Swany (Aug 20, 2010)

Contact the seller and let them know. They should take it back, and you could buy 4 cedar trays for the price of that box. Or as stated above, get a hold of winedor and see what he can do for ya


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## alaskasmoke (Feb 2, 2010)

Yeah, I know what you mean about cost... I thought this thing was a little pricey. And I know how cheap the standard cedar trays are, but they don't fit well in my oddly shaped humidor at all (I converted an old handmade gun cabinet, check out photo below).

I have plenty of cedar in the humidor, so I'm not worried about that. Mainly, I like this thing because it fits perfectly in my humidor . I know that the nasty smell of the finish will fade, just like when you buy some new piece of furniture (especially that MDF stuff), but I'm just annoyed because I know how long it will take.


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## Voorhees (Jul 5, 2011)

I know in the past year, I put up some shelves in my lounge and it took some time for the smell from the stain and clear to dissapate. You might could give it some time and see if the smell goes away.


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## Marlboro Cigars-cl (Feb 19, 2007)

Before reading, I thought Stinky came out with a new addition to their ashtrays.


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## alaskasmoke (Feb 2, 2010)

Marlboro Cigars said:


> Before reading, I thought Stinky came out with a new addition to their ashtrays.


Ha! Yeah, poor choice of words. Sorry about that. I thought about 'stinky wood,' but that comes with a whole different misconception...


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## imported_Mike_E (Nov 20, 2011)

I would send a pm to Forrest (Wineador) and see if he can recommend you a solution to rid that odor. Nice looking tray though...too bad about the smell.


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## chasingstanley (Jan 24, 2011)

Marlboro Cigars said:


> Before reading, I thought Stinky came out with a new addition to their ashtrays.


LOL


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## chasingstanley (Jan 24, 2011)

Hey Ian have you tried sealing it up in bag w/a bunch of crumpled up newspapers?


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## alaskasmoke (Feb 2, 2010)

chasingstanley said:


> Hey Ian have you tried sealing it up in bag w/a bunch of crumpled up newspapers?


I have not. I tried just that with a box of baking soda, but that did nothing at all. I did read somewhere that newspapers and coffee grounds work pretty well, so maybe I'll try that. Couldn't hurt. Thanks for the idea.


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## Flapjack23 (Jan 18, 2012)

Ian,
Nice conversion of the gun cabinet, it looks good.


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## Swany (Aug 20, 2010)

Love the gun cabinet,

I would try just newspapers first, if no go, you can always get some activated charcoal from your local fish store and try that. I guess it works wonders for coolers. Good luck


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## ca21455 (Jul 23, 2006)

This is the same problem I have with boxes of Sancho Panza double maduro. The black paint stinks and it does not go away for a long time. I take my cigars out of the box before putting them in the humidor.

The inside of the box is ok, so the cigars are alright, but in a closed humidor with naked cigars the odor will get into them.


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## GoJohnnyGo (Nov 19, 2011)

The charcoal is a good suggestion. You also might want to try putting it in a sunny window for a few days (if possible). It's just a hunch but seems like it could help with the problem. Maybe the stain/finish isn't quite dry.


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## KaChong (Jan 1, 2012)

If you want to accelerate the outgassing of your tray finish, heat it. Baking soda and charcoal applications will only bind up the odors once they're exuded. In an ideal situation, they'll only achieve the extraction rate that can be achieved under moving air. Raise the temperature, and volatile compounds will blow off much faster. Try warming up your oven and letting it cool down to around 50C and no higher. Place the tray on the rack after making sure that the rack isn't still too hot to damage the finish and let the tray bake out. DO NOT leave your oven on because it's thermal controls are not capable of temperature control at such low temperatures. Place a sign on the stove controls admonishing anyone from preheating it to heat up some pizza while your tray is in there. 

A temp of 50C will accelerate outgassing without being so hot as to burn the finish and develop new nasty compounds. I used to cast prototype rubber components out of urethane or silicone compounds and I found that an overnight post cure at 40C-50C diminished the smell that newly cast parts significantly. They also were more resilient as the post cure completed their curing process. Anyhow, I found that an overnight hold at 50C gets the smells out of a lot of new plastic parts too.


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